You’d be surprised to know how there are certain myths around conception that even most grown-ups would buy into. Did you know that men and women don’t even need to have intercourse to conceive? If you didn’t then reading the following might help you avoid an unexpected pregnancy in the future.
Doctors say that even dry humping, when a man and woman grind against each other without penetration, can cause a woman to get pregnant. Shockingly, this can happen even if both of them were wearing underwear. “If semen came into contact with your vagina then there is a risk of pregnancy,” according to Family Planning NSW. As sometimes semen can even soak through underwear, there might be a rare possibility that the woman could get pregnant from that too.
Whoever thought that breastfeeding can act as a natural contraceptive and can prevent pregnancy is not right as well. Breastfeeding can only decrease chances of conceiving during this period but it is by no means a foolproof method for contraception.
Also the ‘pull out’ method in which man does not ejaculate inside a woman while having sex is not safe either. “Pregnancy can happen even if the penis is pulled out before ejaculation as the small amount of semen in pre-ejaculation fluid can come into contact with the vagina,” NSW Health clarifies.
Another popular but non-medical form of family planning practised by couples is the ‘rhythm method’ or the calendar method’. This involves abstaining from sex when the woman is ovulating or in other words, in the ‘fertile’ part of her cycle. On the contrary, a woman can get pregnant at any time during her menstrual cycle – even during her period.
